LIFE OF CHRIST
Mark 1:15-39
SNAPSHOTS
Life of Christ #15
We want to show you some
snapshots of the Lord Jesus that are written in words instead of taken with a
camera. These are short biographical
stories that show us much about the Lord Jesus and His ministry. We will see:
We are watching Jesus at the
beginning of his ministry in the region called
Verses 14-15 describe Jesus’ ministry which took place after John the Baptist was
placed in prison. Jesus is the King and
He was present. Therefore, the
JESUS, THE RECRUITER – Vss.
16-20
Jesus was looking for men to
train.
He was looking for those who
would be trained by Him and then train others.
This has always been the pattern. Men and women are recruited and
trained to follow Jesus, and then they are to recruit and train others. 2
Timothy 2:2
The first 4 of the 12 Apostles
were simple men. They were
fisherman. One might wonder what
qualities they would have that would make them good disciples. God used these
men to help turn the world “upside down” for Christ.
You may think that you have not
much to offer Jesus as a disciple. Your
abilities may seem limited to you, but the same Lord Jesus who called simple
fishermen like the first apostles is calling simple people like you and I to
discipleship today.
This was not the first encounter
that these men had with the Lord Jesus.
Andrew and probably John had been disciples of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist identified
Jesus as the “lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world”. They
responded by following Jesus and spent time with Him. It was Andrew who went running to find
Brother Peter and tell him the good news that they had found the Messiah. It was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus, and
it was probably John who brought his brother James.
And now, as much as a year
later, Jesus calls these men.
The first thing Jesus said to
them was “Come after me.”
They had already believed on
Jesus.
They were to be followers of
Jesus.
If you have placed your faith
and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are to be a follower as well!
A true believer has been changed
by the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Because the Lord Jesus Christ
has done so much for us, we should feel compelled to follow Him.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Following Jesus, that is, being
his disciple, is not easy. Luke 9:23-24, Luke 14:26-27
Jesus told these early recruits Come ye after me, and I will make you…
·
Who made Peter a great disciple,
boldly preaching to thousands of people?
Jesus did.
·
Who made Andrew a great
disciple, always wanting to bring people to Jesus, and if tradition is true,
taking the Gospel as far as
·
Who made James strong enough to
endure as the first Apostle to be martyred for his faith? Jesus did.
·
Who made John the “Apostle of
love” and gave him strength to live to an old age, and to write the Book of
Revelation while he was a prisoner?
Jesus did!
And Jesus will make you whatever
He wants you to be, if you will let him do it.
Zechariah 4:6 says in part, …Not by might, nor
by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
And Jesus can make you a fisher
of men as He did the first apostles. Fishers
of men are needed today because there are so many without Christ. There are so
many dying and going to hell. Sense the urgency of these Scripture verses:
Jeremiah 8:20, 2 Corinthians 4:3, Revelation 20:15
Notice the response of the
disciples. They left what they were doing to follow Jesus.
Jesus is the recruiter. Are you willing to let Him recruit you?
JESUS, THE AUTHORITY – Vss.
21-28
Vss. 21-22 – Jesus went into the synagogue in
The rabbis of Jesus’ day were
always quoting other rabbis, and the way they taught was down right
boring. They didn’t teach with
authority.
Jesus was different.
Jesus taught with authority.
When we follow the Lord Jesus as
His disciples, we can also speak with authority. We get our authority from the power of His
Holy Spirit and the power of His Word.
Vs. 23-26 – A demon possessed-man was present in the synagogue. Jesus cast the demon out. Notice that the demon knew who Jesus was and
was afraid of Him. That’s because Jesus has authority
Also notice that the demon had
no choice. He had to obey the Lord
Jesus.
Vs. 27 – The people were amazed at the authority that Jesus displayed. Even the demons, evil spirits had to obey
Him.
Has it ever occurred to you that
Jesus has authority?
He doesn’t just have authority
to tell you where you should go and what you should do.
But He has authority to give you
victory over any bad habit that has you in bondage in your life.
John 8:31-32, 36
Jesus has the authority to set
you free, but He wants you and I to recognize that authority, and to surrender
our own authority or rights to Him! Romans 6:10-14
Yield yourself to the authority
of the Lord Jesus in your life. Ask Him
to take authority over the habitual sin in your life.
JESUS, THE HEALER – Vss. 29-34
Vss. 29-31 – Jesus went to Simon Peter’s house for dinner.
Peter’s mother in-law had a
fever. She was in no mood for
company! Jesus healed her.
Now if you’ve been sick with
fever for a few days, how do you feel when the fever leaves you? You feel wore
out. It takes a few more days to get your strength back.
Peter’s mother in-law was
completely healed. She felt so well that
she got up and served the meal! Such is Jesus’ healing power.
Vss. 32-34 – The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday night and ends after the sun goes
down on Saturday. People were freer to move around after the sun went down on
this Sabbath and they gathered at Peter’s door.
They came to Jesus for healing!
Does Jesus heal today?
Yes, He heals the sick according
to His perfect will. James 5:15
The most important healing Jesus
does today is the healing of the soul. Ephesians 2:1-5
And those who are saved and have
been healed for salvation still need his healing touch.
·
We need the healing of his
forgiveness. 1 John 1:9
·
We need the healing of His
comfort. John 14:27
·
We need the healing of His
guidance. James 1:5
·
We need the healing of His
strength. Philippians 4:13
Christian, where do you hurt?
Isn’t it about time that you let
Him heal you of the sorrows that are in your life?
JESUS, THE SERVANT – Vss. 35-39
Vs. 35 – Jesus had a phenomenally busy day.
But the next morning he was up
early to pray.
Jesus was up early to pray
because He was God’s servant.
As God’s servant, he needed
fellowship with His Heavenly Father.
As God’s servant, he needed
instruction from God. He got that as He prayed.
Vss. 36-37 - When Simon Peter and the others came to find Jesus because all the
people were looking for Him, Jesus announced that it was time to move on.
Vs. 38 - Jesus knew why He had come. Jesus knew what He needed to do. Jesus had
just spent time with God in prayer.
There is a lesson here. Jesus was God’s servant, so He prayed.
The more we are called upon to
serve God, the more we need to pray.
Jesus said, “Without me you can
do nothing.”
A lot of times we get frustrated
when we try to serve God.
It is often because we have
failed to pray.
There is a prophecy about Jesus’
prayer life found in Isaiah 50:4.
If Jesus, God’s servant needed
to hear from God every morning, how much more do you and I need to?
JESUS, THE RECRUITER – Vss.
16-20
Have you let Him recruit you?
JESUS, THE AUTHORITY – Vss.
21-28
Are you letting Him have
authority in your life?
JESUS, THE HEALER – Vss. 29-34
Are you letting Him heal you?
JESUS, THE SERVANT – Vss. 35-39
Are you letting Him be your role model for prayer?
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